Counterfeit Madison

7 p.m., Gazebo Stage

All Sharon Udoh of Counterfeit Madison needs is a keyboard and her pipes. The fearless singer/songwriter caught my attention at Alive’s Bands to Watch showcase at Skully’s Music-Diner in January, and totally blew me away with a quick-and-dirty set at Used Kids Records that had some teenage aspiring singer/songwriters nearly in tears. The raw energy alone is enough to get your mind right for ComFest. —Abernathy Miller

SRVVLST

7:15 p.m., Offramp Stage

I like to imagine the dudes of SRVVLST are as ecstatic as I am about emo’s ongoing “revival.” Though the local quartet leans more heavily toward math-rock and post-punk on this year’s Seven Year Inch EP, echoes of bands like Thursday and Mineral can be heard as well. Whatever your take on this much-maligned genre, you should start Friday’s onslaught of awesome at the Offramp Stage with this communal roar of catharsis. —Justin McIntosh

The Worn Flints

8 p.m., Offramp Stage

On their debut album If I Stay Awake, this rock-triumvirate incorporated blues, folk and psychedelic elements for a powerhouse set of tracks. Swaying between out-of-the-gate pulse-pounders and songs that leisurely build to a climax, The Worn Flints are sure to keep the Offramp crowd utterly hypnotized. —Jesse Tigges

Happy Chichester

8 p.m., Gazebo Stage

For the uninitiated, Happy Chichester was the lead vocalist for Howlin’ Maggie, the band that wrote and performed the 1996 song “Alcohol.” If you’ve heard the throat singing on that track, you’ve heard Happy before. This year’s set will be his solo stuff, which is no less amazing. He uses a one-man band technique with a live looping approach, and does it incredibly well. —Meghan Ralston

Beggars

8:45 p.m., Offramp Stage

Even a cursory glance at some of Beggars’ song titles — “Monsters,” “Big Bad Wolf,” etc. — offers some insight into its ferocious, punk-and-metal-influenced din. In a blistering February set at Ace of Cups, the quartet blasted through 25 minutes of music with an intensity that practically bubbled the paint on the walls. —Andy Downing

Brujas del Sol/Lo-Pan

9:30 p.m./10:15 p.m., Offramp Stage

If you need a little heavy to wash off all the hippie, Friday night's Offramp-Stage-closing double-dip of the fuzzed-out psychedelic rock of Brujas del Sol and the riffed-out behemoth rock of Lo-Pan does the trick. —Brad Keefe